A Hulkynd's Tale
by eyebrows-baby1.0
Summary: Arthur Kirkland believed that dragons were nothing but a myth, creatures in old wives tales told to scare children into behaving. But that all changed the day one of his bounty hunts went horribly wrong, causing him to come face to face with the first-ever dragon in a million years.


_When men hear of an opportunity to gain vast riches, they come flocking near and far, ready to risk their livelihood for the chance of a lifetime. Rarely do they ever attain anything but fools gold if they're lucky. The unlucky ones, however, are met with a most terrible fate._

* * *

The old wooden door of the Bannered Mare creaked open as a lone figure, dressed in dark green robes laced with silver stitching, stalked inside, boots heavy and echoing through the halls as they pressed against the wooden floor below, causing the floorboards to creak and groan under the weight. Curious heads emerged from their perch along previously sagging shoulders and droopy backs, their necks now elongated and stretched, their backs as straight and flat as a board as they struggled to catch a glimpse of the tavern's new guest. Under the scrutiny of passers-by, the newcomer made his way over towards the bar where he plopped himself down onto the nearest stool and gestured over to the barkeep to come near. She was currently scrubbing down the bar and preparing orders for a local drunkard-who'd just happened to find some coin on the street to pay for his mead-when she noticed the newcomer, a mage to her surprise, gesture with his gloved hand. Nodding his way, she quickly finished serving the drinks, bid the drunk farewell and began to smooth out her wild mid-length, red hair while making her way over towards the mage. As the barkeep approached, she greeted him with a cautious smile.

"Oh? A mage all the way up here in Whiterun? I don't normally encounter many of you in these parts- oh! How did that happen?" She questions with wide eyes while gesturing her right hand towards the mage's left eye. It was milky white, the film coating over the light green iris that lie beneath it. A jagged scar lie right under the dead eye, stretching down to meet the top of his upper lip. The mage had forgotten to cover the eye and part of the scar with his eye patch in his haste to arrive in Whiterun by nightfall, and now he was regretting that simple slip up in his daily routine. Feeling slightly less spirited than he was prior to her mention of his eye, the mage cast a small glare hoping the girl would get the hint. This question was off-limits. Thankfully for the mage, the girl seemed to get the hint, shifting slightly while darting her eyes to and fro as she struggled to regain her composure.

"Sorry about that, I-I don't normally go around poking my nose in people's business, it just caught me off guard is all-Oh I do hope this hasn't rubbed you the wrong way about me!" She fretted while absently twirling a finger through one of her many red ringlets atop her head. "Anyways, what brings you to our Bannered Mare? Did you perhaps come for the food or did you hope to find yourself a good time this evening?" She chuckles while winking, cheeks reddening while leaning forward, a slight rise in her left brow as her elbows rested on the bar in front of her.

"Important business that I'd rather discuss with the owner of this place. Do you know where they are?" The mage huffed, as he tapped his fingers against the bar impatiently.

"Ysolda I hope you're not disturbing the customers again with your nosy prattle!" A middle-aged woman dressed in a pale yellow dress, fitting tight to her body due to her laced corset, came around the corner from a back room with a broom and pail, her auburn hair tied back into a messy bun. She stopped when she came near Arthur and Ysolda, looking between them with a raised brow on her face and a hand on her hip. She soon focused her attention on Ysolda most of all.

"Wha-what?! I wasn't doing anything wrong Hulda I swear! W-we were just having a nice talk… until you came along." She muttered that last part defiantly, yet Hulda's old hawk ears picked up on it, leading her to frown and swipe at Ysolda's feet with her broomstick as she yelled for the girl to scramble off somewhere.

"Apologies for that, love. I'm Hulda, the innkeeper, and owner of this here establishment." She said, reaching out her right hand toward the man's as she turned her attention back to him.

He grasped her hand, shaking it slightly with a small smile on his face as he spoke, "Arthur, and is she always like that?" He asked while glancing back towards Ysolda who had moved on to ask non-stop questions to a newcomer who had passed through the door.

Sighing as her eyes followed his, Hulda shook her head and with a roll of her eyes turned her sights from Ysolda back to Arthur. "I know she can seem pretty rude at first glance but that girl's got a heart of gold and is the sweetest little thing I've met in a long while. She's a damn good hard worker as well, I plan on letting her run the Inn when I retire you know. Anyways, I know you didn't ask for me just out of pure frustration when dealing with her so what do you need?"

"I'm in need of some coin. I'm hoping to find some work here in the city. Do you happen to know who's hiring?"

Skeptically looking over Arthur from head to toe, Hulda nodded her head over towards some Whiterun guards huddled up in a corner. "I think you'll find what you're looking for with them. Word around town is they're looking for a guy they just can't seem to bloody catch and it's making them look like plum fools in the eyes of the people. I heard there's a big reward for whoever brings him in. Or if that's too much excitement for you, there's always wood chopping as an option."

Cursing inwardly, the Breton glanced over towards the guards quickly, hoping they wouldn't manage to somehow spot him. He'd just had a violent run-in with guards from Rorikstead and he didn't think he'd be up for another round of hide-and-seek with them anytime soon. Unfortunately, Arthur knew they were his best chance at gaining some much-needed coin and that bounty was becoming too hard to resist, the more he thought about it. Sighing, he turned back towards Hulda. "I think I'll take my chances with the guards. An opportunity like this one isn't worth missing the payout on."

"Well, if you need anything else you know where to find me. Good luck love." Hulda says as she resumes her duties with the regular customers at the bar. Arthur turns and heads off towards the table in the back of the tavern where the group of guards sat as they whispered profusely to each other.

"To keep taunting us like this, us! The very enforcers of the law?!"

"We're already on thin ice with the locals and now this wolf comes around scaring people in their own homes and we haven't caught him yet?" A guard said, angrily pounding his fist down into the wooden table, causing some of the mead to top over slightly and almost spill to the floor.

"All right, all right all of you calm down already! We need to figure out a way to apprehend the suspect without causing alarm or destruction to the people and the city-"

"I believe I may be of use to you." Arthur interjected as the men began to turn their attention towards him as he sat back in a chair at the table while twirling a medallion around his fingertips. It normally rests above his heart as he wears it around his neck but every so often, the mage pulls it out when he's got nothing else to do or he's deep in thought. In this case, however, he was slightly bored while waiting for the guards to notice him after he snuck around the table, plopping himself down on a chair minutes ago.

As he anticipated, the guards jolted up in surprise upon hearing his voice, though one guard, in particular, a man with messy silver hair and blood red eyes remained seated, furrowing his brow while looking at Arthur with a questioning gaze as he spoke, "Wait, don't I know you from somewhere- Ah! You're on the board!" He chuckled as he pointed a finger above Arthur's head.

Arthur rolled his eyes, sighing as he watched all the guards look above his head towards the wide, wooden bulletin board littered with the faces of the most wanted men and women in all of Skyrim. Among them, Arthur's very own poorly drawn sketch of himself with hugely drawn eyebrows atop his head hung, a nearly two-thousand coin bounty on his head for various crimes he'd committed back in Summerset. Arthur couldn't help but scoff at how they managed to get his eyebrows wrong yet again. They just weren't that thick and bushy, at least that's how he viewed them. Of course, once the guards had a moment to realize a wanted man was standing right in front of them, they quickly surrounded him, blocking all passages in and out of the tavern. As they readied their weapons, one of the guards, a buff man with blonde hair and blue eyes belched out, "You have committed crimes against Skyrim and her people. How do you plead?"

"Not guilty kind sir," Arthur says as he slips a few coins into the hands of the guard who regards them with little interest. "I do believe I've overheard you all speaking about a bounty you have for a werewolf? Pardon me of my crimes this once and I can bring his rotting corpse to you on a silver platter. Or his head. Whichever you prefer-"

"Or we could always arrest you now. One less troublemaker on the streets of our fair city." The blonde guard shouted, his loud, gruff voice sounding through the tavern, causing several heads to swivel over in their direction. A few of the customers began to look worried and quickly excused themselves from the tavern, their meals all but forgotten as they ran out the door. Before Arthur had a chance to reply, Hulda swept in, guiding the men over to a private storage room she used to store an assortment of goods for the shop.

Once inside, Hulda swiftly turned around to face the group as she spoke, "I don't quite care much for involving myself in others' business, but when your business begins to scare off my customers, well then, it becomes my business. Whatever issue you have with the mage can be resolved civilly and respectfully outside my inn." Hulda pointed a finger towards the back of the storage room where a door was located. The men glanced at her once then quickly made their way out the back of the inn into the bustling streets of Whiterun.

As Arthur stumbled out the door last, the men quickly surrounded him once more, this time with their weapons sheathed. The red-eyed guard who'd managed to identify him stepped forward as he spoke, "Listen mage, this whole situation is nothing but a headache so if you think you could help us get the wolf I'm more than willing to let you go on your crimes-"

"Gilbert are you actually suggesting we work with this criminal?!" Shouted the blonde-haired guard from before as he glared in disbelief at his fellow guard's suggestion.

"Ludwig he's honestly our best chance at catching the dog and restoring the people's faith in us as the police-"

"Captain. You will address me as Captain at all times." He huffed as his men began to quietly snigger at his interaction with Gilbert. "This goes against the law and our morals a-and frankly I refuse to work with some convict when we can handle this perfectly on our own-"

"Oh yes, we handled it so well that the dog's been out there scaring and slaughtering the masses for months." He scoffed. "If you have any other way of fixing the problem, then please Captain, do suggest it." He sneered while crossing his arms and leaning against a pillar on the side of the tavern while looking towards Ludwig for his response.

After moments of consideration, Ludwig turned towards Arthur, who had been scanning the area for an escape route in the event the guards were unwilling to accept his help, and held his gaze for a moment before speaking, "We will take you up on your services but do not forget the reason you are pardoned. Failure to kill the dog will result in the agreement being null and void."

"The dog will be dealt with, of this I am sure. I am a man of my word after all, especially where coin is involved." Arthur replied.

"Well, I'd like to trust more than your mere word, considering your history after all. Gilbert!" Ludwig barked out, turning towards his lounging fellow guard as he signaled for him to come over. "I want you to accompany the mage with finding the wolf."

"Wait wha- me!? Why can't Fenrig or Guthrum go-

"If memory serves me right, I believe it was you who suggested we have the mage deal with the wolf for us? It's only fair that you go and watch over him as well." Ludwig smirked while watching Gilbert's pale face become smeared with red as he balled his hands into fists while pushing himself away from the tavern pillar he'd been leaning on as he joined Arthur near the other guards.

"Do not make me regret my decision." Ludwig gritted out while gathering up his men and heading out towards the streets to resume their delayed patrol.

"Wait where the hell do we go?! Ludwig, Ludwig we have no leads!"

Slowly trailing behind his men, Ludwig turned slightly in their direction as he replied, "Isn't that what the mage is for?" Then quickly rejoined his men on patrol. As he left, Gilbert angrily gave him the middle finger when his back was turned.

Moments after Ludwig left and Gilbert calmed down some, he turned to Arthur with an outstretched hand, "I think we got off on the wrong foot. I'm Gilbert Beilschmidt and that stick in the mud you just met is my kid brother."

Arthur viewed the outstretched hand warily before grasping it tightly in his own hand. "Arthur." He replied curtly as he began to walk briskly towards the city gates that lead out to the vast wilderness of Skyrim. As Arthur walked on, Gilbert raised an amused brow at the sight, shaking his head and chuckling while jogging to join the mage as the pair began their quest to hunt for a wild wolf. Little did they know this bounty would be like any other, changing their lives forever.


End file.
